Nando de Freitas: enough pessimism in AI, ditch moat thinking
NandoDF · x · 2026-09-07
Renowned researcher Nando de Freitas pushes back against pervasive pessimism in AI: engineers rushing to monetize before "automation in 2 years," obsession with moats, and "we must catch up" mentalities are all soulless, he argues.
He instead calls for attacking gargantuan real problems — carbon capture, removing plastics from water, 30x better batteries, clean energy, curing diseases — saying good engineering is about empowering others and advancing science, not protecting products. "Always, one step ahead."
Related event: DeepMind researcher Nando de Freitas slates AI industry pessimism(2 posts)→
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